Someplace to Be Flying [Hardcover]

Charles De Lint (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

Lily is a photojournalist, stealing away from the music scene she usually covers to pursue bizarre rumors of "animal people" living in the ruins of the Tombs - the city's darkest slums. Hank, on the other hand, knows the crumbling Tombs all too well. This is the part of the city he calls home, creating a life and a ragtag family on streets where many fear to tread. One night, in a brutal incident, their lives collide - uptown Lily and downtown Hank, each with a quest and a role to play in the secret drama of the city's oldest inhabitants: the animal people. For the animal people walk among us. Native Americans call them the First People, but they have never left, and they live disguised among us. And they claim the city for their own. Coyote the Trickster, wily, dangerous, and utterly compelling. Jackdaw the storyteller, nursing the secret wounds of tragedy. Raven, guarding the pot that holds the birth and destruction of life itself. The unpredictable Fox, the deadly Cuckoos, the Wolves that prowl city streets. And the Crow Girls, two charming young punks who delight in mischief, gossip, thievery...and who are much, much more than they seem. Not only have Hank and Lily stumbled onto a secret, they've stumbled into a war. But in this battle for the city's mythic soul, nothing is quite as it appears.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nobody does urban fantasy better than Charles de Lint. He has a gift for creating engaging, fully realized characters, totally believable dialogue, and a feeling that magic is just around the corner.

Someplace to Be Flying is set in Newford, a town familiar to readers of de Lint. (He set two prior novels (Memory and Dream and Trader) and two anthologies (Dreams Underfoot and The Ivory and the Horn) in Newford.) One late night, as Hank drives his gypsy cab, his reliable though perilous city is transformed. He encounters the mythical "animal people," and the experience leaves him--and the reader--questioning accepted reality.

"Hank just wanted away from here. He'd sampled some hallucinogens when he was a kid and the feeling he had now was a lot like coming down from an acid high. Everything slightly askew, illogical things that somehow made sense, everything too sharp and clear when you looked at it but fading fast in your peripheral vision, blurred, like it didn't really exist." Fans of Emma Bull and Terri Windling (as both an editor and an author) will enjoy de Lint. He can make you believe "as many as six impossible things before breakfast." --Nona Vero

From Library Journal

A cab driver and a freelance photographer come together in the town of Newford to explore the existence of the mythical "animal people" and discover the hidden world that lurks just outside their normal perceptions. The author of Trader (LJ 12/96) specializes in a unique brand of crossover fantasy that combines elements of magical realism with multicultural myths to illuminate the lives of his characters?the misfits and orphans of the modern world. De Lint's elegant prose and effective storytelling continue to transform the mundane into the magical at every turn. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 380 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312858493
• ISBN-13: 978-0312858490
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,266,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles de Lint and his wife, the artist MaryAnn Harris, live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His evocative novels, including Moonheart, Forests of the Heart, and The Onion Girl, have earned him a devoted following and critical acclaim as a master of contemporary magical fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I want to meet the Crow Girls., March 16, 2002

By 

ibix - See all my reviews

This review is from: Someplace to Be Flying (Mass Market Paperback)

I resisted reading something by Charles de Lint for a long time after one negative review from a friend. Finally, I decided to get a book by him one day just to take a look.

I am so glad I did. This was an amazing book, and by far my favorite urban fantasy. I haven't read much in this genre before, but I certaintly plan to now, as well as read more books by de Lint. The characters were great; there's no way you can get through it without loving Zia and Maida (or laughing out loud at their dialogues), and many of the other characters. While at points, especially toward the end, the plot thinned some, and turned just a bit too much into your typical 'let's go save the world from ultimate evil and make everything good' fantasy, the characters and the great background of _Someplace to be Flying's_ world carried it through. All fantasy lovers, even those who normally stick to a less modern type, should read this.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books I've Ever Read!!!, March 2, 2006

By 

AvidReader (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Someplace to Be Flying (Paperback)

I'm not sure what book some other reviewers read who posted less than favorable comments, but this book was easily one of the top 5 books I've ever read. Given that I have multiple large containers of books, you will understand that I've read quite a lot. With this book, I never wanted to set it down, but I started reading on a business trip and unfortunately work kept interfering with my reading! I did; however, recommend it to some of the people I was working with while only part way through the book. I was ready to read it again as soon as I finished! The characters De Lint develops are extremely engaging as is the storyline he pursues. As someone who is interested in Native American folklore, as well as mythology and folklore in general, the ideas presented in this book were very intriguing. I found this book genuine enough, and realistic enough, that I was ready to start looking for animal people around me. The story may have shifted to different viewpoints throughout, but I had no trouble keeping up and had no confusion as to view or place while reading. My only disappointment is that I do not believe that there are any additional books with these characters as I would love to read more about their lives and their adventures. As it is, I went out and bought 4 or 5 more De Lint books to read. Enjoy!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite, February 7, 2006

By 

Amanda Hiendel "Mooncroww" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Someplace to Be Flying (Paperback)

I've read this book so often that the cover is almost falling off. I've got passages underlined and used to have them memorized. This is by far the best Delint book out there. I love it.

The Crow Girls crack me up and at the same time frighten me. They can be sweet as pie and suddenly dangerous. I love how they like to smell the bacon rather than eat it. How they tried to steal a disco ball.

I also loved Coyote. he is always one of my favorite characters. Always trying to undo the things he's done. Always causing trouble.

It's captivating and beautiful. The end is interesting and sad and happy all at once. Read it. It's lovely.